Here are 5 ways to ensure that you’re making a good first impression that will last.

1. Get it right the first time

You only get one shot at making a good first impression. If you’re meeting a new contact in person, give them a great handshake and be genuinely interested. Instead of just nodding and looking away, make eye contact and repeat their name. Prospecting a new client over email? Make the effort to find out and address them by their name, making sure it’s spelt correctly. You’d be surprised how careless many people can be with little details that count.

2. Tell a great story

Don’t hold back when it comes time to share. Engage your audience, be it one or a thousand, with something real and honest. Whether you made your first million at age 21, have a bizarre talent for recalling the title of every Celine Dion song, or have a knack for extreme sports, share your story and give people an extra reason to remember you.

3. Get personal

Polite niceties are easy enough to throw about in conversation. How many times have you said “How’s it going”, “Take care” or “Stay in touch” and actually meant it? Make a difference by taking it a step further. Take the time to write a note congratulating a client on their recent promotion, or send your sympathies at a tough time. If you genuinely care for a friend or client beyond the superficial, the returns may far surpass your expectations.

4. Have a signature look

In fashion, a signature look can make you unforgettable. The actress Audrey Hepburn knew that all too well and worked it to her advantage with her minimalist wardrobe of button-down men’s shirts, headscarves, classic sheath dresses and cigarette pants. And who can think of a black turtleneck without remembering Apple founder Steve Jobs? Find your look and you’re well on your way to standing out from the crowd. For businesses, never underestimate the impact of a powerful logo and the right choice of colours. The story of a famous fast-food chain might be quite different if they had gone for brown and white, instead of red and yellow.

5. Let your actions speak for you

Can you walk the talk? Words come easy and instead of telling your clients or potential partner how good you are, show them that you’re more than just empty words. Impress them with your sincerity, detail to attention and willingness to go the extra mile. You’ll find that they’ll do all the talking for you.

I recently got into men’s skincare. Some of my friends might laugh, but I’ll be the one laughing when I’m well into my 40s and my skin is lovely and supple.

Anyway, that’s beside the point.

When it comes to this oft-overlooked area of cosmetics, I’m about as knowledgeable as a shopping trolley, so I was a little bit nervous stepping into the boutique of one of Australia’s most highly regarded cosmetics brands. Is my skin

I now feel confident doing things like this!

oily or dry? What sort of stresses do I put it through daily? Do I really need a $325 badger hair brush to shave? It’s amazing how uneasy I was before stepping into the shop, and it’s hard to put a finger on what exactly I feared. However, it was soon put to bed by truly next-level customer service.

The shop attendant greeted me politely and asked how my day was going. Pretty standard. The difference was she approached me for the conversation, removing the counter from the equation. In effect, she became a friend of mine, rather than a member of staff. We ended up having a nice chat about the weekend’s activities and of course what I thought about my skin; in layman’s terms, putting me at ease in an unfamiliar area. The cumulative effect of this approach meant that it wasn’t weird when she proceeded to treat me to a hand massage with an array of expensive skincare products!

That’s right – for a good 15 minutes, I was given complimentary professional-grade hand therapy, just so I could, quite literally, get a feel for the products and which would be best suited to me. I was impressed by the cleansers and hydration creams on offer, but what really extracted the $104 from my wallet was the service, which is some of the best I’ve seen in the retail environment. The lesson? Treat customers as people, and they’ll treat you to their custom!